A USB barcode scanner is another one of those things that is essential for some sellers and useless for others.  If you never sell new goods or media items then it is very likely that you don’t have a ton of use for a barcode scanner.  However, I currently have boxes full of about 400 books waiting for me to list on Amazon.  Without a barcode scanner I would be stuck typing the EAN/ISBN’s for each of these books.  If you are only listing a few thats no big deal but multiply that by 400 and the barcode pays for itself very quickly.

I use a simple corded barcode scanner that came with a nice flexible stand.  This works for me because I scan everything at my desk.  If you have storage or shelving in places more than 5-6 feet from your computer then it would be a good idea to invest in a wireless scanner.  The nice thing about the scanner i have is that it senses when you put an item in front of it so it automatically attempts to scan a bar code (it also has a trigger button to manually turn on the light).  After scanning the scanner will also automatically submit what it just scanned, much like hitting the enter button after entering text into a search box.  This is great because you literally never have to touch your mouse or keyboard to scan an item.

This is such a cheap tool to own that it really would be worth any reseller investing in.  Even if you don’t do much with barcodes now you may in the future and I even use it to scan items around the house to see what they sell for on Amazon.  Its just such a handy tool that is cheap and has 0 maintenance.  Definitely check them out!